Move Over Cinderella

Is this new month already half way over? Wow, 2008 flew by. I went to Montgomery,Al to ring in the New Year with my friend Seana and 9 other people that I luckily already knew. It has been so long since I just danced the night away. Literally, after we ate, we stayed on the dance floor. Dancing is very therapeutic. I highly recommend making a complete idiot out of yourself occasionally. The band was so much fun and very kind to allow me to play the tambourine. Why it is that I always end up with some kind of instrument in my hand I will never know. It was fun though. I am certainly getting older. Staying out after 12 midnight reminded me of that the next day. I really prefer to be in bed by 10pm. Anyway, I have had so much fun reconnecting with friends that I have not seen in a while. I even got to visit with a former stroke patient and his wife, Tony and Bea. We laughed as recalled his days in speech therapy. I spent some time with my friend Angele and her family. We went to Battleship park and looked at the ship, planes, helicopters and submarine. I love that Calvin, Angele's son, would only hold my hand...if only he was 30 years older.


I have been hanging out with my mom and dad. Mom decided she would organize all the photos. It will be months before she finishes that task. We have had some good laughs looking at old photos. From about 6th grade on, my hair got progressively longer and bigger. Thank goodness that I frequently changed my hairstyle though. It helped me figure out what grade and age I was while I was organizing.


My family went to Meridian for my nephew's baby dedication today. He is so adorable and surprisingly laid back given that his sister is always in his face. I suppose Laurel was tired of Cole getting all the attention and decided to give us a concert complete with Miley Cyrus as backup vocals. The outfit she chose was priceless. Those little tight black jeans and the crop t-shirt that read "move over Cinderella" had us all laughing so hard we were crying. I think she is destined to be a performer.


I still don't have my next assignment. I am starting to get a little nervous and also craving the structure from a job. I had requested the south but I suppose I could go ahead and get the west coast out of my system. So the next time I update this blog, there is no telling where I will be.

Christmas has now come and gone. I have turned another year older and a new year approaches. Although thirty is quickly becoming blurred in the distance, I hope that the remainder of my thirties will be as exciting and memorable as the first few years. I honestly think that the best is yet to come. Therefore I am encouraged, excited and very hopeful about a new year.


It has been a blast seeing old friends and visiting with my family. I am pretty sure that I am a little more plump after eating all the good food, especially the homemade chocolate birthday cake that I have come to anticipate every year. This year I had three assistants to help me blow out my candles. I certainly hope they are still around if I live to see 90. Anyway, a little extra spit never hurt anyone. We are all family, right? It was fun watching the kids open their presents.
It was even more fun watching them have a blast digging in the dirt while a house full of new toys was only a few feet away. My favorite gift this year, besides being home, my Billy Joel's greatest hits CD. Look out Lionel, you have competition. We have now given my brother the "number one dad" title as he helped Laurel sew a pretty pink purse out of yarn and foam. Mom and dad thought it would be a great idea to buy the boys these huge (I mean huge) remote controlled trucks. I think the adults had more fun than the kids, but it scared Mason and he ran every time it cranked up. I had my trunk open getting something out of it which turned out to be a great hiding place from the "shruck".


My mom, dad, aunt and I began cleaning out my grandfather and grandmother's house. I was a little sad because it reinforced reality that both of my grandparents were gone. We laughed a lot though as we were reminded of great memories. It almost felt like an invasion of privacy as we went through every little piece of paper, box, bag, clothes, etc. I couldn't help but smile at all of the clippings. My grandmother clipped out everything from recipes, to home remedies, to advice columns. She jotted random notes down, prayer requests, dates, phone numbers and addresses. I found medical terms, definitions and abbreviations from where my grandmother was studying to be a nurse technician. We found old letters, hair nets...lots of hair nets, pantie hose and girdles. Clothes, jewelry, handkerchiefs, hats, blankets and the "purry" perfume. The latter was a little unexpected but made us all laugh. No I would not expect to find anything that my grandparents would have been ashamed of. They were both God fearing people who lived as wonderful examples of what a Christian should be. It did prompt a thought in my head. If I suddenly departed this earth and my family was left to rummage through my things would they learn something about me they never knew? Would they view my belongings as garbage or charitable donations? Would they know what things I cherished and valued? Would they find anything that would shock them? Would they keep anything or simply just throw it away? Something to think about, huh? Perhaps we should live life and keep our households in such order that if someone had to come behind us and clean out our houses after we die, we would not be ashamed of what they would find.



Met up with old roommates from PRCC and USM, along with other friends Monday night and had a great time catching up on old times. My friend Stephenie dropped by the house in Prentiss on her way to Hattiesburg and it was great to finally visit with her after several years. Headed to Montgomery to ring in the New Year with Seana. I will definitely be sure to eat my black eyed peas and cabbage...I wouldn't shun luck or money. Hope everyone has a great New Year. Don't forget to look for blessings and little miracles that occur every day around us!

"There's no place like home"

So, I have finished my assignment in Pinehurst, NC. As I pulled away from my condo early Saturday morning Lynard serenaded me with Sweet Home Alabama. I smiled hearing "carry me home to see my kin." I thought I would be a little more sad leaving but surprisingly I wasn't. The hardest part was leaving the great friends that I made while living there. I was fortunate to have worked with a great group of people, which made the assignment bearable.



My drive was uneventful, thank goodness. No, I didn't have the pleasure of viewing the inside of the Ruby Tuesday's fridge with about 30 other strangers as a tornado passed over our heads. I did laugh as I passed and saw the sign though. I stopped in Charlotte for a visit and brunch with my friend Amy. Next, it was Montgomery, AL to stay with my friend Seana. We had some Mexican food and then had fun crashing her brother's Christmas party. Okay, so we were invited. After going to church with Seana and her family, I continued south to Mobile. I went to my storage and unloaded all the things that I would not need. I think I heard my car give a sigh of relief when I removed the heavy stuff. I met up with my friend Wendy and we headed to the Bass Pro shop to get some final gifts. Okay, this store is huge and has a little bit of everything. It made me want to become an outdoor sportsman. I do have my eye on a kayak...of course then I will need a rack on my car. After leaving the madness we went to have some Thai food at one of our favorite restaurants and met up with our friend Jon. The next day was spent running errands, followed by lunch at Callahan's with Dewayne, Wendy, and Jon. I still say they make the best hamburgers.



I finally started my drive to Mississippi but not before stopping to visit with my friend, Heather in Hattiesburg. She was in town from Virginia with her family. It was nice to visit with her and meet her children. Finally, I arrived home and to good home cooking. I can't wait for the holidays and seeing more of my friends and family. Hard to believe I am about to turn another year older. Mom was right...the older you get, the faster it goes. I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas.

Pull Out the Ruby Reds and Start Clicking

Just as the geese that frequently woke me early in the morning as they hit the pond have flown further south for the winter, I will follow their lead and head south as well. The count down has begun. I have one week of work left and then I head home!! I have grown to enjoy my nice little condo on the golf course, although I never swung a club myself. My sidewalk is always swept and the lawn is cut with precision and well manicured. There is always an endless supply of men walking and driving their golf carts right along my balcony (granted some of them look one step away from a hip replacement). I have even helped a few of them locate their golf balls that were hit a little off course. I don't even get bothered any more when I get stuck behind a golf cart and I find it amusing that there are stop lights for golf cart crossing. Pretty much, this town is one big, or several, golf courses surrounded by homes. Yes, I will miss this place.

There is no doubt that God may have placed me here initially for one reason, but I am certain it was to help me discover a few things. I am reminded of two quotes. One says -Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forward. The other states -You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, "I lived through this. I can take the next thing that comes along."

So what's next. Of course I don't know. When have I ever had a solid plan? My hope is to find an assignment locally near my family and then find a permanent job near Mobile. Who knows where I will end up. One thing is for sure though...it will be the south!